


From Eden

by Lynds



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Original Percival Graves, Bed-Wetting, Child Abuse, Credence Barebone Gets a Hug, Credence Barebone Needs a Hug, Gen, Hozier, Outlaw Queenie Goldstein, Outlaw Tina Goldstein, Protective Credence Barebone, Protective Queenie Goldstein, Protective Tina Goldstein, Songfic, Young Credence, bamf credence, how is that not a tag?, morally grey Goldstein sisters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-05 15:30:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13390782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lynds/pseuds/Lynds
Summary: Seven year old Credence Barebone wakes up to two angels wandering around his Ma's house. When they see how badly treated he is, they take him away. But Tina and Queenie are no angels. They're running from their own difficult childhood, stuck in the No-Maj world without wands and forced to steal to survive.





	1. Something Wretched About This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the video for [Hozier's From Eden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI0wUoCLnLk) which I'm obsessed with at the moment. The whole album, really...pretty much every disturbing word that comes out of that man's mouth resonates with me! The chapter titles are lyrics from the song. They're very short chapters, but because of the changing POV I don't want to combine it all in one!
> 
> Also I apologise for any Britishisms, I'm not American!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently found a gorgeous picture by [QuestionArtBox](http://questionartbox.tumblr.com/post/157213801045/sweet-tooth-ive-been-wanting-to-draw-the) on Tumblr which made me think of this fic so much, it's just SO SWEET! Have a look and give her some love!

The closet was small and comforting, mostly bare but for a few blankets and sheets, so there was always plenty of space for Credence to curl up on the bottom shelf. It was quiet and still in there, and the doors just about thick enough to muffle a child’s sobs. Ma didn’t know he sneaked in there to cry. If she did she’d beat him for getting the linen all dirty.

It was OK that day though, because Ma was out at a prayer meeting. He knew she’d probably be late because he was naughty and made her late to leave. He wet the bed again the night before, and Ma had to spend the whole day punishing him for his disrespect, for his dirtiness. He knew she’d be angry if he didn’t sleep in bed that night, but the sheets were still smelly and Credence thought the mattress would still be damp. He just wanted to huddle in the closet a little while longer. The urine always stung if it got in his cuts. He wondered if he could stay awake all night. then he’d definitely be able to go to the toilet in time.

He rested his head against the wall and wiped his face, staring up at the slatted wooden shelf above him. It would only be two days until Ma would let him change his sheets. She didn’t want to waste laundry money on dirty little boys who can’t control themselves.

He bowed his head and pressed his palms together. “Dear God,” he whispered. “Please help me to be stronger and better. I promise to work hard at my chores and at Bible study and I will try my hardest not to be naughty. Please don’t let me wet the bed again? Amen.”

He sighed as he settled himself into a corner, his butt and back sore from the whipping that morning. He wasn’t allowed breakfast or dinner either. Ma must’ve been distracted because she let him have lunch while she punished Chastity for sass. Credence squeezed his eyes shut. Was he wicked to take the sandwich from the pile meant for the other kids in the church group? Some of the other kids had, and he’d been so very hungry. But what if it had been a test? He knew Jesus tested his followers sometimes to make sure they could resist temptation like he did. Maybe Credence had failed his test and God was going to punish him by making him wet the bed again.

Credence pressed his face against the cold, rough wall and cried.

***

A thump from downstairs startled him awake, and he panicked. He didn’t mean to fall asleep in the closet and now Ma and Chastity were home and he’d get into so much trouble.

But another bump and whispers drifted up the stairs. Ma would never whisper in her own home, and if she’d wanted Chastity to be quiet she would have slapped her for whispering. 

Credence rubbed his eyes and leaned back, confused. He was so _tired_. His tummy hurt, his back was on fire and he wanted to cry some more. Maybe if the monster…he clamped down on the thought tightly, clamped down on the creature in his chest that wanted to change the world the way only Jesus should. His head was spinning, and he tried to hold still, to keep the monster inside.

There was a flash of light through the slats in the door, and soft voices. There was someone in his room! But he didn’t hear them come in. Maybe it was a ghost or a witch. Maybe it was the devil, come to take him away because he was such a bad boy. Credence clamped a hand over his mouth to hold in a whimper as the lights swirled around him.

“Are you sure it came from here?” said a woman’s voice, and Credence’s eyes rolled back with fear because it was sure to be an agent of the devil.

“I don’t know,” said another. “It was just like they woke up for a moment. It was so _sad_ , Teenie. But then it was gone, like they’d shut a door on their mind.”

“I dunno, maybe it was a glitch…maybe it was further than you thought. This place is a dive, we can’t take anything from someone so poor, Queenie.”

There was the sound of movement, some whispered words, and Credence couldn’t help it. He had to know what they were looking at. Maybe he could explain, tell them he didn’t _mean_ to be bad. He pressed against the door to peer through the slats.

They weren’t devils. They couldn’t be, because they were too beautiful. One woman had a short brown bob like Ma’s, but her face was gentle, tired and fierce, but so kind. And the other one…well, she must have been an angel. 

She turned right as he thought that, saying “there it is again!” and he _must_ be right, she’d heard his thoughts and she knew he was there. He shuffled back in a panic because they must have been there on important business and he didn’t want to interrupt them. But the angels were coming closer. He pulled his knees up to his face and tried not to breathe so hard, but he was so scared. 

The door opened. The angels looked down at him, the lights were blinding, there were stars in his eyes, and he prayed, just as the darkness wrapped its arms around him, that they’d see how sorry he was and forgive him, and maybe…maybe, if he promised to be the best boy in the world, one day they’d take him with them to heaven.


	2. Chivalry Fell On Its Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please note. Stealing children is frowned upon, no matter how badly you think or even know they're being treated. Tina and Queenie are slightly morally ambiguous though, and for good reason

“Tina,” Queenie begged her big sister, eyes wide.

“Queenie,” she said. “We can’t.”

“He’s being hurt here, Teenie,” she said almost in a whisper. “He wanted us to take him to heaven.” She stroked the little boy’s black hair off his sweaty forehead and Tina bit back a sigh.

“Fine,” she grumbled. “Just…lets go now, OK? Mercy Lewis, the things you talk me into.” But she picked him up carefully and cradled him close. “What’s that smell?”

Queenie petted him again. “He musta wet the bed. Poor lamb. I’ll get him some clothes.”

“Hurry up,” said Tina. “The parents could be back any minuted, and the last thing we want is No Maj cops on our tail.”

“All the more reason to make it look like he ran away himself.”

Tina raised her eyebrows at her innocent looking little sister. It was a little galling that Queenie was the brains of the outfit and had the looks on top of it. She wondered what she contributed at all.

“You’re the power, honey,” Queenie said, answering her thoughts as always. She only did it with people she trusted, and Tina couldn’t help the glow of warmth that always came with the embarrassment. Queenie straightened up with the little boy’s least ragged clothes. “You have the charisma to get things done. I just read minds.”

“Just,” she snorted, but lay the kid down, helping her strip and change him out of the stinking pyjamas. “These aren’t damp any more. This piss is old.”

“Charming,” muttered Queenie. 

They both froze when they saw his back. “Oh, the poor little mite,” sighed Tina.

Queenie squeezed her arm and silently completed the job while Tina turned her face, hiding the tears she wiped from her eyes.

The sky was starting to show a hint of pink as they bundled into the green piece of shit car they’d stolen back in Salt Lake. Queenie lay back, her feet on the dash, and sang along to sad songs on the radio while Tina drove east, skirting LA, nowhere in mind but away. From cities, towns, people and memories that tasted sour on her tongue.


	3. I Might Be Hoping

When Credence woke up, the world was moving. He was dressed in his best jeans and a clean t-shirt. And there were two angels sitting in front of him. The angel with brown hair turned as he sat up, and smiled at him, and he knew his prayer had been answered. He was dead, and he’d been a good enough boy to be taken to heaven. He smiled so hard his cheeks hurt.

The blonde angel, who was driving, gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Credence looked at her, worrying. An angel shouldn’t be sad.

“Hey, sweetie, what’s your name?” asked the brown haired angel, glancing at the driver.

“Credence,” he said. “Are we going to heaven now?”

The angel looked confused and Credence’s heart sank. Had he got it wrong? Ma always said he was a bad boy, how could he have ever believed—

The car swerved to the side of the road, dust clouding around them and drifting in the open windows. The driver angel wiped her eyes, then turned and gave him a dimpled smile. “You are _such_ a good boy, Credence,” she said firmly. “You’re so good. My sister and I took you away ‘cause you deserve a good life. But we’re not angels. I’m Queenie, and this is Tina. We’re gonna look after you, OK? No-one’s gonna hurt you ever again, not if I’ve got anything to do with it.”

Tina nodded throughout the speech. “Is that OK, Credence? Are you happy to come with us? We can take you back, if you like?”

Credence imagined going back home now, in full daylight, having not been home all night. How he’d have to explain where he’d been, why he’d been so disobedient. His heart beat faster as he thought of how Ma’s eyes would bulge with repressed fury while the sisters could see her, how she’d keep her gaze on him, and how he’d _know_ he was in for the whipping of his life.

He knew he was ungrateful and selfish. Ma had taken him in when he was only little and he knew he’d been nothing but trouble. He should have more loyalty. But then, maybe Ma would be relieved to get rid of him.

He nodded. Now he just had to make sure they never found out what a freak he was.


	4. Like My Mirror Years Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter for you at last! Thank you for your patience with my super-short ones ^_^

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this fic, to help keep the statute of secrecy, Ilvermorny students use generic student wands at school and can't take them home over the holidays. They then have to apply for a wand license when they graduate.

Queenie smiled at Credence as he leaned over the back of the passenger seat, and held out a dollar to him. He took the fluttering paper, eyes wide. She heard his excited thoughts. He’d never held real money before, and he didn’t seem to know or care that she’d stolen it from the till of the last gas station. He was coming out of his shell a bit, his eyes and mouth open in delight, gazing out at the vast landscape of Joshua Tree. She could hear his wonder, childish joy and curiosity, his tragic memories, thoughts that made her want to slap the bitch that raised him so hard her head spun. But every now and then there was silence. A blank space. It wasn’t just a wall, which would have been impressive Occlumency for one so young, but an absence. Her mind just…slipped off his sometimes.

They slept in the car for a couple of nights, dozing fitfully, always on edge and watching behind them for the red and blue flashing lights of No Maj police chasing two kidnapers. They drove completely at random, letting Credence choose which road to take. 

At last Tina pulled into a dusty driveway by a little timber framed bungalow. “Queenie?”

She closed her eyes to help her focuses stretching her awareness as far as it would go. “No-one,” she said, shaking her head.

Tina let out a long breath and Queenie squeezed her hand. Tina always took so much responsibility on her own shoulders. “Come on, Credence,” she said, and jumped out of the car, dimples pulling at her wide smile. “Let’s go find a bedroom for a night or two.”

The little cutie grabbed her hand, looking up at her like she hung the moon. Tina climbed out and stretched, her back popping, before holding out her own hand to Credence so they could swing him between them up to the front door.

Tina picked the lock while Queenie taught Credence to play I-spy. The house was simply furnished, but pleasantly decorated. There was a full set of kitchen utensils, cutlery and crockery, but nothing perishable in the cupboards. “Holiday home,” Tina murmured, pulling out tins of soup. “Good, it’s off season, we might be able to stay here a couple’a days.”

“We can play house, can’t we, Credence? Hey,” she said, snapping her fingers. “I know! If we find a map of the whole US you can drop a pin in it and choose our next destination. You’d like that, wouldn’t you, honey?”

He nodded vigorously, his eyes shining and oh, so wide. Queenie couldn’t resist squeezing him tight.

“Hey, why don’t you two go hunt down the map while I get dinner on?” Tina asked. Queenie smiled at her gratefully and cast one last wistful look at the kitchen before letting Credence pull her out. Cooking charms were the thing she missed most about having a wand. But unlicensed wands were unpredictable, often downright dangerous. She knew Tina sometimes fretted that she should have just borne that foster home another two years. Then she’d have been seventeen and could’ve taken Queenie legally, wand licence, Ilvermorny diploma and all. Whenever she heard her big sister fretting about that, Queenie would crawl into her lap and squeeze her tight. They’d had no choice, and she would have given up a whole lot more than a school wand and it’s underage magic tracer to get Tina out of the monster MACUSA had named their guardian.

“Doesn’t look like there’s a map in here, huh?” she said, forcing a smile for Credence. “Maybe we’ll pick one up at the next gas station. Hey, why don’t we play The Floor Is Lava?”

His eyes widened even more, and he looked down at his feet as if he was expecting to see the floor melting. “Lava?”

She grinned.

***

She could hear Tina thinking from across the little house. The night was silver, moonlight and animal sounds flooding in through the open windows as she tiptoed across the living room floor and into Tina’s room. “Budge up.”

Tina sighed but did as she asked, turning on her side and hugging her tight. “Sorry, was I keeping you awake?”

“Yep,” she smiled. “You think too loud, Teenie.” Tina didn’t say anything aloud, but Queenie heard her uncertainty clear as day. “I think we did the right thing by him, taking him like that. We knew she was hurting him.”

Tina nodded against her shoulder blades. “I could see that without being a Legilimens.”

Queenie squeezed her hand, closing her eyes against Tina’s memories, which mirrored Credence’s and sent the impotent rage swelling through her. 

“But I think I did wrong by him,” Tina went on in a whisper. “I shouldn’t have asked him to choose. I put the responsibility on his shoulders. I should’ve just told him it was for the best. Now I’ve made him the bad guy.”

Queenie shook her head. “We’ve got to give him responsibility for his own life. He hasn’t had any power over what happens to him before.” She shrugged and tried to squash her own guilt and uncertainty. “Maybe we shoulda woken him up and asked instead of just taking him, but I think he would’ve been too scared to come with us then. We’d have left him there, and he’d’ve spent the rest of his life being hurt. Maybe we didn’t make the right decision, but we made the only decision I coulda lived with.”


	5. Just To Hide Outside Your Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I had help from my 7 year old daughter Bee with this chapter ^_^ She's good at explaining a child's perspective and motivations!

Credence woke up wet, and felt his heart sink. He should have known this was all too good to be true, now Tina and Queenie were going to find out that he really was a dirty, bad boy, and they’d hate him too. He didn’t think they would beat him but…what if they sent him back to Ma?

His heart beat faster and faster and he could feel his pulse hammer in his own throat, under the skin. The monster that lived in his chest was swelling and he imagined grabbing it with both hands, trapping it behind the cage of his ribs. Letting _that_ out would probably be enough for even Tina and Queenie to throw him out for the coyotes.

Maybe he could wash the sheets. Queenie and Tina need never know. He leaped out of bed and stripped everything off as quickly as he could without being loud. He dragged them behind him out of the door and into the narrow kitchen. The washing machine door was stiff and he feel backwards, bumping the back of his head on the crockery cabinet when it gave way.

At last he managed to cram the sheets into the machine, but when he looked for the laundry powder the panic came back in full force. There wasn’t any. There was a bottle of liquid under the sink, and he thought he might have heard Tina cheering that there was laundry liquid - maybe that was it. But how were you meant to use it? How much? Did it go in the body of the machine with the clothes, or in one of those drawers? Credence whimpered and sat on his backside for one panicked moment, his hands pressed over his eyes.

He scrubbed his face and pushed himself back up. He would wash it by hand! He could use the dish soap Maybe he’d even be able to get it back on the bed and the sisters would never know the difference. He pulled a stool up to the sink and started dragging the sheets up into it.

“Credence?”

Queenie pushed the kitchen door open, rubbing her eyes. Credence startled so hard he fell off the stool, and his heart thundered so loudly he could hardly hear her. “I’m…I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“What is it, honey?” she asked, stepping forward and holding her hands out for him.

“I’m dirty,” he whimpered, flinching back. “I’m…you’ll get dirty, I’m sorry, I’ll make it right, please—please don’t send me back?” 

“Oh, sweetheart.” 

She fell to her knees beside him and pulled him close, didn’t she hear? He was a dirty, disgusting little boy, she mustn’t—he must not have told her clearly enough. Tina followed behind her, rubbing her eyes and yawning, and Credence knew they both needed to be told. “I wet the bed,” he whispered, and hugged his knees, tense and waiting for the blows.

“Oh, honey,” she started, but she was crying and couldn’t speak. He’d made Queenie cry! He was so filthy. Credence _hated_ himself.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” said Tina. She was talking in her usual businesslike tone, all evidence of tiredness gone. “It happens, Credence, we’re not mad, OK?”

“You forgive me?” Surely it couldn’t be true.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she said firmly. “I used to wet the bed when I was little too, it’s just a little bit of pee.” She shrugged. “People get het up over the smallest things, but all we need to do is set the washing machine, maybe get a pack of Dry-Nites. No biggie. C’mon, let’s get you out of those wet clothes and give you a bit of a bath. Don’t you mind Queenie, she’s just sad that you’re sad.”

“Really?”

Queenie nodded and wiped her eyes, then made hot chocolate for them while Tina bathed Credence quickly and set the washer. His head spun. “You really forgive me? It’s really OK?”

Queenie made a funny noise, but Tina turned and bent down in front of him, holding onto both his shoulders. “There is nothing to forgive, Credence, y’hear? It was an accident, that’s all, I promise. Your body’s just not ready to go through the night sometimes, and that’s OK. We’ll make some changes. We’ll drink less water before bed, maybe. Sound good?”

Credence felt his bottom lip start to wobble and tears welled up and over, spilling down his cheeks before he could stop them. “B-but why…why did Ma say—“

“Because she’s not very nice.”

Both he and Tina turned to Queenie, red eyed and angry looking. “Queenie,” said Tina.

“No, I’m sorry, but she wasn’t. I ain’t making apologies for her. He has to know that’s not what good people do. That’s no way to treat a person. Credence, your Ma didn’t treat you right, so whatever lies she told you about yourself, we’re gonna make sure you know they’re just not true.”

Credence flung himself into Queenie’s arms, clutching her waist and pressing his face tight to her. The monster that lived in his chest seemed to have been replaced with pure light and joy, and he felt Tina hugging both him and Queenie. Sandwiched between them he smiled even as his eyes leaked a constant stream of tears. He closed his eyes and let the joy fill him like white light.

“Oh!” said Queenie, and he opened his eyes.

The little kitchen was filled with flowers. Roses, forget-me-nots, cornflowers and jasmine grew from the walls and hung from the ceiling, twisting and twining towards the three of them.

“Well. This is different,” murmured Tina. “I didn’t think cornflowers grew on vines.”

“Credence, did you do this?”

His initial reaction was a flinch and a cower, but Queenie was caressing a white rose with a look of wonder on her beautiful face. Had he done it? He thought so, but the monster had never done anything so beautiful. It had only ever come out to stop Ma from hurting him. Not that that ever worked, it only made her madder and she beat him worse.

Queenie turned, her eyes widening in surprise as if he’d said some of it aloud. Maybe he had. “That’s what you’ve been hiding?”

“What?” Tina frowned.

“Credence, you’re magic. And so powerful, too, to be able to hide it, and control it, and block me out at such a young age.”

“He can block you out?”

She nodded. “I think he hides the memorise of his magic without even knowing he’s doing it.” She looked back at him. “Sweetheart, you’re amazing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: enter Percival Graves!


	6. Idealism Sits In Prison

Auror Percival Graves glared at the underage magic tracer map. Damn Sera, demoting him for arguing with her. Sure, she had to prove her strength somehow, but he hadn’t figured he’d have to change the way he spoke to his friend just because she’d been made Director. Now he was visiting No Maj families and convincing them to sign the Statute of Secrecy and move into a wizarding community, or obligate them and regime the child. Percival sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Poor little bastards. Sometimes, in the hidden depths of his mind, he wondered if the Statute of Secrecy was really worth it.

Suddenly the map lit up with a massive flare. “What the fuck?” Percival muttered, leaning over California. It was like someone had set off an atomic bomb, and he cast a series of diagnostic spells to make sure it wasn’t the map glitching.

He wound back the timer, searching for more flares from the same source. There were flecks of it scattered along one of the roads in the Jacob’s Ladder national park for the last 24 hours, but nothing before one absolutely massive one at 1:18am the previous day. He rubbed his hand over his mouth and released the time spell to let the map spool back to the present. Another spark flickered in the same place as before, and Percival made a note of the co-ordinates, steeled himself, and made his way to the portkey office.

***

He was grumpy as he stepped out of the San Diego branch of MACUSA an hour later. Bureaucracy was bad enough, but just being away from New York made a migraine loom behind his temples. It didn’t help that he’d be going out to the desert, and his cooling charms were somewhat out of practice. He sighed, double checked the co-ordinates, and apparated.

The house in front of him was ramshackle, the corrugated iron roof falling down in one corner. What kind of place was this kid living in? 

His senses prickled, and he spun round to see two women and a little boy climbing into a beat up old station wagon. “Hey, wait!”

“Drive, Teenie!” yelled the blonde, clutching the boy, pulling his head close to her chest. 

Percival whipped his wand out of its holster and cast a disabling spell on the vehicle. They scrambled out, running straight for the desert. He groaned and started after them. “Wait, I just want to talk!”

The earth in front of him exploded, lifting him off his feet and hurling him into the old house. He just had enough time to cast a Protego before the wood splintered around him. He groaned and struggled up into a sitting position, squinting against the debris still falling around him. What the hell had that been?

The trio was still running into the wilderness, a few hundred yards away. He concentrated and apparatus right in front of them, stumbling and pressing his palm agains this face. Mercy Lewis, but this migraine was kicking it up a gear. “Listen,” he yelled, holding both hands out. “I really do just want to talk. I know things are scary right now, but what your little boy is going through is perfectly normal.”

“He’s an auror, Tina,” yelled the blonde, and Percival stared at her.

The little boy turned, his face a mask of fear and fury, and Percival’s head felt like someone had stabbed a red hot poker through his skull. He couldn’t even cry out, just fell to his knees with a whimper, raising trembling hands to his face. The stabbing receded just enough to let him gulp a breath. And then it was back, lancing from the base of his skull through everything that made him who he was. He fell forward, vomiting and blind. Dimly he heard a woman’s voice begging. Someone’s arms wrapped around his chest and held his limp body up. He should probably be grateful that he wasn’t drowning in his own sick, but he wasn’t sure the pain wouldn’t still kill him. The black that rose at the edges of his perception was a blessed relief.


	7. Something So Magic About You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AGGRESSIVELY FLUFFY ENDING!! Thank you all so much for reading this, you guys make me happy!

He woke in the dark, his whole body aching, his throat scratched raw. But at least his head no longer felt like a shish kebab. He shifted and groaned, and opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a pair of huge brown eyes in a child’s face, and he startled back, swearing. He groped for his wand, but it wasn’t there, and he held out both hands in front of him, trying to hide his panic.

“I’m sorry,” said the little boy. 

Percival wasn’t convinced. He had the edge of petulance that made it clear he’d been told to say that. “Uh, sure, kid.”

“Are you—oh, thank Merlin, you’re OK.” The blonde woman came running in, and Percival realised they were in an unfamiliar living room. She knelt down beside the sofa and handed him a glass of water. He tried not to show how overwhelmingly grateful he was, drinking it with his attention firmly still on the threat, and absolutely not moaning with pleasure as the tepid water soothed his throat. The woman grinned anyway, cheeky dimples digging into her skin.

“I’m Queenie Goldstein,” she said, sitting on the coffee table. The little boy curled up under her arm, and the other woman appeared, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and jaw jutting out at him. “Don’t mind Teenie,” said Queenie, who then laughed at his raised eyebrow. “OK, her name’s Tina. She just doesn’t trust you yet.”

“My name’s Percival Graves,” he said, swinging his feet round to sit properly on the couch, rather than lounging on a sickbed. “I’m sorry for startling you.” He took a deep breath to marshal his thoughts, and dove into his speech. “This may come as a shock to you,” he began.

“Oh, honey, I sincerely doubt that,” Queenie said. “I’m a Legilimens.”

Percival gaped. “You’re a—“

“Yep.”

“So you’re a witch?”

“We both are. So as you can see, there’s no reason for MACUSA to get involved in Credence’s situation. We know about the Statute of Secrecy, so we’ll take care of his accidental magic outbursts. You can take him off your list or whatever.”

He blinked a couple of times. “Uh, I see. OK. Well…great. I’ll just take a sample of…uh, Credence? A sample of his magic, so I can recalibrate the spell, and we’ll see you at Ilvermorney in a few years’ time. Uh…my wand?”

Tina held it out to him, eyes still narrowed.

“Why don’t you have wands?” whispered Credence to Queenie.

She hushed him. Percival made sure his own wand was safely back in his own hands before raising an eyebrow at Queenie. “I’d like to know that too.”

“Mr Graves,” said Tina wearily, “MACUSA didn’t give a shit about us when we were kids, don’t pretend we matter now. Just take your sample and leave us alone.”

He frowned. “No, I think I’m going to need a bit more than that.”

Tina turned her face away, angry and resigned, but it was Queenie who leaned forwards, blue eyes hard as diamond. “You want to know all the ways you guys failed us?”

Then her hands were on his temples and he was dragged through memories. A funeral, two young girls bounced from home to uncaring home. A foster father beating a teenage girl with a switch. A young blonde girl, tears in her eyes as she cleaned up her sister’s wounds. Two young runaways leaving their wands behind. No-one ever looked for them. Life on the run with only Queenie’s exceptional Legilimency to keep them safe, living as No Majes. Credence.

When he jerked back there were tears welling in his eyes and he took a shuddering breath. “I’m so sorry.”

Queenie looked awkward. “Well. It’s not your fault. As an individual. The system—“

“The system is fucked,” he said viciously. “It is, and I’m part of it, and I’m sorry. None of this should have happened.”

“So you’ll let us carry on taking care of Credence?” asked Tina, her eyes bright with hope. “you see how much better it is for him here with us—“

He shook his head, thinking furiously. “No, that’s not enough.” Tina’s face fell, and he hurried to reassure her. “I’m not taking him away from you, you’re right. This is the best place for him. But this is all…completely illegal. And you can’t go on running like this.” 

He nodded to himself as the pieces fell into place. “Theseus. Yes. Look, I have a friend in England, Theseus Scamander. He’s an auror there too, but he’ll understand. You need to get out of the States, get a fresh start. It’d be easier to ask a favour from Kimama in the First Nations Office for Shamanic Affairs, but there’d still be too much crossover with the No Maj aurors, and Stirling over in Canada is closer to Sera than to me, and I’m still in the doghouse with her. Anyway,” he said, realising even Queenie looked slightly glazed. “Theseus is the only person I’d trust with this. I’d trust him with my own life.”

“Mr Graves,” said Tina, almost whispering in embarrassing awe. “You’re sending us to England?”

“Yeah, well…it’s the only thing that makes sense, isn’t it? You guys need to be safe, all of you. You deserve to be safe.”

Credence launched himself at Percival, throwing his skinny arms around his waist and squeezing him tight. As Percival looked down at him and petted his black hair, the air around them fluttered as thousands of sparkling butterflies appeared, swirling around the room. Percival stared in wonder. “You’ve got some power, kid.”

“Thank you, Mr Graves.”

“My pleasure,” he smiled, a warm feeling blooming behind his chest where he’d thought everything had long frozen over. “Now, I’d better get a sample of that magic back before someone else notices the spikes going off the chart and comes to investigate.” He put his hands on Credence’s shoulders. “Look after Tina and Queenie, will you? Yeah, I know you will. You’ll be safe now, Credence.”

He nodded, brown eyes shining. “I know now.”


End file.
